Thoughts from a Library Administrator

Books Read 2025

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 20:59:00 +0000

This list is, once again, really, really late! I have sort of abandoned this blog. And, for whatever reasons, I have not been reading books -- lots of reading, but mostly email, newspapers, social media. Here's the 2025 list:

Lonely Planet: Panama

The River is Waiting

The Old Man and the Sea

Kingfish U: Huey Long and LSU

[Author signed/LLA 2025]

You Are My Sunshine: Jimmie Davis and the biography of a song

[Author signed/LLA 2025]

America Redux: Visual stories from our dymanic history

[LRC selection 2025]

Travels with Charley

[in the Library of America edition]

A Bitter Wind A Billy Boyle World War II Mystery

ARC

The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics

[Work topic]

Killer Underwear Invasion: How to spot fake news, disinformation [,] + conspiracy theories

[LYRC 2023 noninee]

Note that prior year reading lists are linked from this page:

https://michaelgolrick.blogspot.com/p/previously-read.html

Book Review: The Old Man and The Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 21:30:00 +0000

I can't tell you how many times I have handed this book (with the earlier cover) to library patrons over the years. Yet, I had never read it! Not sure why.

It is a simple story covering less than a week, and focusing on a three-day battle between an old fisherman and a fish (shark). It includes a story of the interactions between the fisherman and a young man who spends time with him.

I am still parsing the meaning of the metaphor/analogy presented. I will need to think some more.

Book Review: You Are My Sunshine: Jimmie Davis & the biography of a song

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Sat, 05 Jul 2025 18:58:00 +0000

One of the speakers at the Louisiana Library Association (LLA) Conference this year was Robert (Bob) Mann. He is a a professor emeritus of mass communication at Louisiana State University. He held the Manship Endowed Chair in Journalism at the Manship School of Mass Communication at LSU for 18 years. He is the author of ten books, including critically acclaimed political histories of the U.S. civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, American wartime dissent, Ronald Reagan, and the 1964 presidential election. {source: https://www.robertmannbooks.com/about-robert-mann} He worked as a journalist and then for several prominent Louisiana political figures.

This book is a combination of history of the song and its popularity, biography of Jimmie Davis, and commentary both on aspects of Louisiana politics and the societal issues from the 1920s to the present. It is exceedingly well written.

So many of us have sung or heard this song sung with no understanding of the origin story. I did not know very much about the two-time governor Jimmie Davis before I read this book. As I noted above, one of the foci of the book is his complicated story.

As part of the analysis of the song, Bob Mann includes discussion of the various "covers" of the song over time. Someone who is more musically astute than I could make a great web site linking to all the different versions which have been recorded over time. I would enjoy listening to some of these while reading the stories of how they came about.

It is a well researched work with 17 pages of footnotes (technically end notes), seven pages of bibliography, and an index. Anyone doing work on Jimmie Davis or the role of this song in the American pantheon would find this a seminal work. I am very glad that I read it!

P.S. I commend reading this article about his departure from LSU. It has some interesting, pointed perspectives including on the brain drain from the state: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/10/why-robert-mann-quit-lsu.html

Books Read - 2024

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Sat, 12 Apr 2025 03:26:00 +0000

Well, this list is really, really late! Without having gone to ALA's Midwinter event, I had sort of abandoned this blog. And, for whatever reasons, I have not been reading books -- lots of reading, but mostly email, newspapers, social media. Here's the 2024 list:

Seven Storey Mountain

The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics

[Work topic]

Dawn in the Dooryard: Reflections from the Jagged Edge of America

Author signed; family holiday grab bag

Writing the Big Book: The creation of A. A.

A History of the Louisiana Library Association, 1925 - 2000

@work

At the Edge of the Orchard

[Book discussion book from a sister-in-law]

From Prison Cells to PhD: It is never too late to do good

Red Harvest: A graphic novel of the Terror Famine in 1930s Soviet Ukraine

[GN=Graphic Non-fiction]; ARC @work

Our Missing Hearts

[Book discussion book from a sister-in-law]

How Far the Light Reaches: A life in ten sea creatures

Felix Ever After

YA - LTRC

First-Hand: A Memoir of Life in 1950's Mandeville LA

Let's Talk About It: The teen's guide to sex, relationships, and being a human

[GN=Graphic Non-fiction]

Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms

[GN=Graphic Novel; LYRTC @work]

Museums & Women and other stories

Saint Juniper's Folly

[YA, ARC]

Glengarry Geln Ross: A play

[@work]

My Selma

[ARC, YA - intro speaker at ALA LibLearnX 2023]

Nothing Interesting Ever Happens to Ethan Fairmont

[ARC, YA, signed by the author]

Steve Jobs

[@work]

Jikji, light from the East III

Note that prior year reading lists are linked from this page:

https://michaelgolrick.blogspot.com/p/previously-read.html

ALA Annual 2024 - Where is Michael?

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 23:00:00 +0000

Updated 6/26: Calendar synch completed ... But still very much a work in progress.

Here is my tentative schedule for ALA Annual in San Diego. Note that it is still tentative! There is only one Thursday event. Astute readers (do I even have any?) will note that there is a dramatically smaller number of events and conflicts. It was a decade ago that my friend Aaron Dobbs and I found that you can only have 46 calendar events in a day.
If you have previously viewed this, you may want to refresh to be sure that you have the latest version of my calendar.
(Note: I have figured out how to make "Agenda" the default view.) Clicking on any event will show details. I think have also mastered having the time zone correct, but I could be wrong! I will need to test upon arrival in San Diego.

The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics by Tim Harford: A review

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 13:25:00 +0000

The US edition was published in 2021 -- so I am a little late to the game. But this is a great read. It does not delve deeply into math, but could be a companion to discussion on web evaluation ("fake news") as well as basic math literacy.

Here are the ten easy rules ... but I strongly recommend reading the book:

Search your feelings
Ponder your personal experience
Avoid premature enumeration
Step back and enjoy the view
Get the backstory
Ask who is missing
Demand transparency when the computer says no
Don't take statistical bedrock for granted
Remember that misinformation can be beautiful, too
Keep an open mind

And ... the golden rule: Be curious

And while he has a web site [https://timharford.com/] in my initial wandering around, it does not say much about this work on statistics [although you can readily purchase the book on his site] ... he has moved on to other topics.

Books Read - 2023

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 15:25:00 +0000

This year had no real pattern ... no plan ... I just pulled books from the pile. I was given a few books by a sister-in-law who had read them in her neighborhood book group, so couldn't just leave them in the community center. (I figured that if I didn't want to read them, I would give them to my public library book sale!) Here's the 2023 list:

At the Edge of the Orchard

[Book discussion book from a sister-in-law]

From Prison Cells to PhD: It is never too late to do good

Red Harvest: A graphic novel of the Terror Famine in 1930s Soviet Ukraine

[GN=Graphic Non-fiction]; ARC @work

Our Missing Hearts

[Book discussion book from a sister-in-law]

How Far the Light Reaches: A life in ten sea creatures

Felix Ever After

YA - LTRC

First-Hand: A Memoir of Life in 1950's Mandeville LA

Let's Talk About It: The teen's guide to sex, relationships, and being a human

[GN=Graphic Non-fiction]

Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms

[GN=Graphic Novel; LYRTC @work]

Museums & Women and other stories

Saint Juniper's Folly

[YA, ARC]

Glengarry Geln Ross: A play

[@work]

My Selma

[ARC, YA - intro speaker at ALA LibLearnX 2023]

Nothing Interesting Ever Happens to Ethan Fairmont

[ARC, YA, signed by the author]

Steve Jobs

[@work]

Jikji, light from the East III

Note that prior year reading lists are linked from this page:

https://michaelgolrick.blogspot.com/p/previously-read.html

ALA Annual Conference - Chicago!

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 17:14:00 +0000

Updated 6/12: Calendar synch completed ... and photo from Midwinter added for visual interest.

Here is my tentative schedule for ALA Annual -- in Chicago! Note that it is still tentative! There are Thursday events for me ... I have events in the official ALA Scheduler which have yet to migrate to my Google calendar -- but they will!

If you have previously viewed this, you may want to refresh to be sure that you have the latest version of my calendar.

(Note: I have figured out how to make "Agenda" the default view.) Clicking on any event will show details. I have also mastered having the time zone correct, but this time I am again living in the Conference time zone!

ALA Midwinter ... Ooops, LibLearnX 2023

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 21:00:00 +0000

Here is my tentative schedule for LibLearnX (formerly known as ALA Midwinter). Note that it is still tentative!

I am driving to New Orleans on Friday, and will be leaving (perhaps with an airport stop) after the closing ceremony on Monday (Note: I have figured out how to make "Agenda" the default view," I think.) Clicking on any event will show details. I think I have the time zone correct, but this time I am living in the Conference time zone!

Of particular note, I am the "moderator" for Willie Mae Brown who will be talking about her new book My Selma. I am nervously looking forward to that event. (Saturday at 4.)

Books Read - 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 13:46:00 +0000

There are themes to this past year's reading. First, this list is in reverse chronological order. The last read is the first.

Actually there are two themes and they are biography/autobiography and lengthy (fat) books. Other than Cheever's writings, what I read was all biography/memoir. Some might argue that even the Cheever writings are memoir-like. He certainly drew on his life experience and the places in which he had lived. [Reading Cheever was the completion of a sequence that I started in 2021 by reading his daughter's works, including ... wait for it ... biographies she had written and her memoirs.)

The second theme/pattern - especially for about the first 3/4 of the year was length. It seems like two book, how much could that be? But if counted in pages, that almost 2,000 pages. The Grant biography was almost 1,500 pages. That's three books totaling almost 3,500 pages.

The combination of reading the Grant biography and The 1619 Project was very appropriate. Grant, as an army general and as President, tried to set the stage for a fully equitable society. His role (other than as the General) was not something of which I had been aware. I understand better why his portrait is on the $50 bill!

The end of the year introduced a new aspect: graphic non-fiction. Prior to reading Maus, I don't think I ever read a full graphic novel. While people would say that the three I read were graphic novels, they really aren't. Maus is a "told to" memoir; Monumental is a documented biography; Gender Queer is a memoir. They are not fiction ... hence my "tag" referring to them as GN=Graphic Nonfiction.

On to 2023!

Having said that, here's the 2022 list:

Dirtbag, Massachusetts: A Confessional

signed by the author

Monumental: Oscar Dunn and His Radical Fight in Reconstruction Louisiana

GN=Graphic Non-fiction

Gender Queer: a memoir

GN=Graphic Non-fiction

Maus

GN=Graphic Non-fiction

The 1619 Project:a new origin story

Home Bound: An uprooted daughter's reflections on belonging

ARC, signed by the author

Grant

Blog post here.

Dragon Teeth

Wishful Drinking

Complete novels

Library of America; Blake Bailey wrote the chronology and notes for this volume. [At 906 pages, I feel like this should count for more than one book!] Blog post here.

Collected stories and other writings

Library of America; Blake Bailey wrote the chronology and notes for this volume. [At 1004 pages, I feel like this should count for more than one book!] Blog post here.

Grant a significant biography

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Earlier this year a friend posted on Facebook about the bicentennial of Ulysses S. Grant (April 22). I quickly realized how little I knew about the 18th President. I knew he had been a general, and was the commander of Union forces who accepted the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox. He also had a reputation for being (depending on to whom you listened) a heavy drinker or a drunk. I also believed that his administration was wracked with scandal.

The book by Ron Chernow is massive. The copy I borrowed was in large print - and the text ran to 1,289. Those pages are followed by another 190 pages of notes, bibliography, and photo/illustration credits. (It is a pretty fat book at 1,479 pages!)

Grant was much more than just a general and a drunk. While this biography talks about his drinking issues, Chernow notes that whatever drinking Grant did was away from any significant activities. He was not ever drunk during a battle or a crucial time in his administration. Some of that credit belongs to one of his personal assistants, and to his wife Julia. He did have a "drinking problem," but especially at the end of his life, he seemed to be able to control it. According to this biography, he never drank leading up to and during a battle. He would occasionally go on binges. There were two people who helped reign him in, one was his wife Julia, and the other a long-suffering and long-serving assistant John A. Rawlins. It's a fascinating relationship, and there is one (much shorter) version of the story on History.net.

I strongly recommend the book. The description of Grant's political acumen and actions as President were not something I had known about. The election of his successor ushered in the era of Jim Crow, which undermined much of what Grant tried to do as both a General and as the President.

The very end of his life was sad in that he rushed to finish his memoirs (published by Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain) in order to leave funds for his wife. The next time I drive east, I will try to visit both his tomb (in New York City) and where he spent much of his final time writing in Saratoga Springs (NY). I suppose, his version of his life should be added to my reading list!

ALA Annual - DC 2022

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 17:23:00 +0000

It has been a while! Here is the posting of my schedule ... Right now, this is still tentative, and a work in progress. My role in the Association has changed, and there are many fewer commitments.

The schedule is dynamic and will change. And, I have not tried to move/copy the events I have chosen in the official ALA Scheduler - but I will be doing that.

I know that this time will feel different. Fewer hard commitments - and I get to look at programs. I will also be going more slowly through the exhibit hall.

And do note the time zone note on the bottom. I have entered the correct time zone in the calendar and seem to have mastered the ability to have the events show in the time zone in which the conference is being held -- even when it is not the time zone in which I am working/entering the data.

John Cheever: Complete Novels

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Sun, 15 May 2022 23:50:00 +0000

More on Cheever! I have now finished reading John Cheever's Complete Novels, also in the Library of America edition (902 pages, plus notes and chronology). As I noted about his stories, I feel like this should count for more than one volume ... There are actually 5 novels in this compilation (in order of publication - and presentation):

The Wapshot Chronicle
The Wapshot Scandal
Bullet Park
Falconer
Oh What A Paradise It Seems

At times, the novels felt like short stories, and some of the characters from the novels either previously or subsequently appeared in the short stories.

I feel like the short story was Cheever's metier and real strength in writing. All of his works are "of a time and place." Because it represents both a geography and a time period with which I am familiar, it felt comfortable to me - and likely his writing was well received by "the establishment" since it was so much about them.

I am glad that I read all of his works, and have an appreciation for what he describes.

John Cheever: Selected Stories and Other Writings - some notes

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Sat, 07 May 2022 04:21:00 +0000

I just finished reading the Library of America's compilation of John Cheever's Collected Stories and Other Writings (1004 pages plus chronology and notes). The stories are more or less chronological in the order of publication, and are grouped by the collections in which they had appeared.

Many of the stories use characters and places which also appear in his novels - which gives a sense of continuity to his writings. He is clearly a gifted story teller. I had one friend ask (early on) if I had read "The Swimmer" (p. 726). I had not at that point, but it is an amazing story, and I commend it.

The Other Writings include works about other authors (Saul Bellow, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Malcolm Cowley) and a great little essay "Why I Write Short Stories." A sentence in that essay struck me a being very important:

"...they are read by discerning and well-informed men and women who seem to feel that narrative fiction can contribute to our understanding of one another and the sometimes bewildering world around us." (p. 996)

*Mic drop*

[In my list of books read this year, I feel like this should count for more than one volume!]

Books Read 2021

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 17:54:00 +0000

Here's the 2021 list:

Death on Nantucket

Ava's Man

Home Before Dark: A biographical memoir of John Cheever by his daughter

Tinderbox: the untold story of the Up Stairs Lounge fire and the rise of gay liberation

After the Worst Thing Happens

ARC

Note Found in a Bottle: My life as a drinker

Death of a Diva at Honeychurch Hall

Hurricane read

Antiques Carry On: A Trash 'N' Treasures Mystery

Hurricane read

The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914

[Special note: cover is by my friend Wendell Minor]

The Last Haywire Ride

[from the bargain table at Blue Cypress Books]

The Paperboy: A Novel

[from the bargain table at Blue Cypress Books]

The Building of the Panama Canal in Historic Photographs

Panama: Yesterday and Today

Not God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous

The Awakening: complete, authoritative text with biographical and historical contexts, critical history, and essays from five contemporary critical perspectives

My name is Bill: Bill Wilson: His Life and the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous

The Library Book

Desire: Where Sex Meets Addiction

Couples

The Manchurian Candidate

"Gettysburg" [National Park Service Booklet, 1992]

"The Monuments at Gettysburg" by Thosmas A. Desjardin [1997]

"Holding the Left at Gettysburg: the 20th New York State Militis on July 1, 1863" Seward Osborne [1990]

"On the Bloodstained Field: 130 Human Interest Stories of the Campaign and Battle of Gettysburg" by Gregory A. Coco

signed

Reading about Panama

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 14:22:00 +0000

Some time ago, I pulled the Road Scholar [formerly known as Elderhostel] list for their Panama Canal week-long experience.

More recently, I started reading from the list. The first book I chose was older than I expected ... Panama: Yesterday and Today by Sue Core. It was published in 1945 by North River Press. The name of the publisher still exists ... but it is definitely a different kind of publisher. [Current web site - they now focus on the writings of Eliyahu M. [Eli] Goldratt who is known as the "father of the Theory of Constraints (TOC)," a process of ongoing improvement that identifies and leverages a system’s constraints in order to achieve the system’s goals.]

I looked for biographical information about the author...and had great difficulty finding anything. WorldCat and Amazon both list a fair number of books by her, but little biographical info. I think she may also be known as Sue/Susan Oman. But that requires some further work.

On to the book ... In reading the first two chapters, I went to double check the copyright date (1945). The author's description of the way the Spanish conquistadors destroyed the existing civilizations could have been written last week (2021). She expresses great admiration for the culture which existed in the 15th Century in the Americas. She talks about the systematic destruction of that culture.

Yet, when I got to the last chapters, her descriptions of those who worked to build the canal, and the description of society is incredibly dated, and loaded with inaccurate stereotypes. It was a reminder that this was written in a particular time and place.

In between, the book was a simplified description of the building of the Canal. And, yes, if you are following my reading list, you will note that I am in the process doing some reading about the building of the Canal. All of it is in hopeful preparation for a trip (as yet unplanned) to see the Canal, and going through it.

Books Read 2020

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 15:30:00 +0000

Better late than never, I suppose ... I was updating the page with the "Currently Reading" and realized that I never posted the 2020 list. It is surprisingly short - most likely because of all the distractions of the year.

In any case, here it is:

Widows of Eastwick

Witches of Eastwick

The Ambassador's Daughter: A Novel

Signed by the Author

Death Over a Diamond Stud: The assassination of the Orleans Parish District Attorney

Conventionally Yours

ARC

After the Worst Thing Happens

ARC

Latitudes of Longing: a novel

ARC

Utopia

[Yes, a second time]

A Room Away from the Wolves

Signed by the Author, ARC

Wink: a novel (Surviving Middle School with One Eye Open)

ARC

Leaving Lymon

ARC

Blue Daisy

[J/YA]

ARC

Dear Beast

[graphic novel, J/YA]

ARC

The Third Rainbow Girl

Signed by the Author

Utopia

Updike's Witches

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 01:01:00 +0000

I recently did something that I think I have never done before ... I read a couple books and then immediately watched the movie made from one of them. I no longer remember what inspired me to pull from the library stacks The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike. But this late fall, I was off and running/reading.

I have read Updike before. I read several of his books prior to introducing him at the Connecticut Library Association Annual Conference in 2000. After the Conference, I also read the book he was promoting at that time (Gertrude and Claudius) as well as an older collection (Bech is Back - which he most thoughtfully inscribed to me).

This time I did the following in this order:

Read The Witches of Eastwick
Read The Widows of Eastwick
Watched the movie: "The Witches of Eastwick"

The action in The Widows takes place 30 years after the activities of The Witches. The Widows is an interesting take on the aging process, in addition to the other themes which follow from one book to the other. The theme of aging and those changes is a one which Updike explores in other works (most notably to me, the Rabbit series).

I was disappointed and disturbed by the movie adaptation. In both of the books, the women characters (Sukie, Jane, and Alexandra) are portrayed as strong women with a bond with each other, and having developed/found their unique skills which are most powerful when they are together. Darryl as a character arrives in Eastwick after there has already been action from the women. In the movie, however, Darryl (played by Jack Nicholson) is portrayed as the force which develops and binds the women's powers.

In the Wikipedia entry on The Witches (the book) it notes:

Updike described his novel as "about female power, a power that patriarchal societies have denied." Many scholars viewed it as strongly pro-feminist, "an intelligent engagement with feminism, and a rare case of a male novelist writing from women's points of view." Some have expressed concern that the book may be misogynistic, as it seems to reinforce the patriarchal conceptions of women as witches and of women requiring a man for personal growth; others believe that the book may be more of a satire of such ideas.

The movie clearly takes a different tack, as a vehicle for Nicholson, and focuses on his presence as the driving force - and the ending of the movie is a dramatic difference from the book - having repurposed one of the plot lines.

It has been interesting.

I will also confess, that part of the attraction for me was the setting. Eastwick is a fictional town on Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. It is a setting with which I am familiar. I could see the setting in my minds' eye ... could hear the voices (and accents) ... could almost smell the salt air, and the mustiness endemic to older, wooden-framed homes near the salt-water coast.

I recommend the books - both of them. The movie, not so much.

ALA Midwinter 2020 - Philadelphia

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 03:00:00 +0000

Here is my tentative schedule for ALA Midwinter. Note that it is still tentative!

I am flying in on Thursday (1/23) and leaving on the 28th. (Note: I have not figured out how to make "Agenda" the default view.") Clicking on any event will show details. And do note the time zone note on the bottom. Here, I am seeing things in the Central Time zone, not sure how true that is for others.

Books Read 2019

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 02:30:00 +0000

Here is the list of books I read in 2019.

Basket Case: A Novel

[library book]

Major Taylor: The extraordinary career of a champion bicycle racer

[library book]

The Diary of a Bookseller

ARC

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Little Altars Everywhere

signed

Failure to Launch: Why Your Twentysomething Hasn't Grown Up.. and What to Do About It

ARC

Seeing My Skin (A Story of Wrestling with Whiteness)

Review

ARC

Guardians of Being: Spiritual Teachings from Our Dogs and Cats

Stray City: A Novel

signed

Contemplative Vision: Photography as a Spiritual Practice

Mina's Guide to Minute Taking: Principles, Standards, & Practical Tools

Deep West: A Literary Tour of Wyoming

The Nature of Life and Death: Every Body Leaves a Trace

ARC

If You Want To Make God Laugh: A Novel

ARC

Redwood and Ponytail

ARC

Astro-Nuts

ARC

The Other Half of Happy

Unwasted: My Lush Sobriety

No Exit: a novel

Food Rules: an Eater's Manual

Jazz Scrapbook

The House in Poplar Wood

YA - ARC

Five Days at Memorial

Fifty Things That Aren't My Fault

ARC

Bookshop of the Broken Hearted

ARC

Seeing My Skin - a review

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 22:27:00 +0000

Jarrett-Schell, Peter, Seeing My Skin: (A Story of Wrestling with Whiteness) [New York]: Church Publishing, [August 17] 2019.

I picked this up as an ARC (Advance Reader’s Copy) at ALA this summer. In unusual fashion, I actually was reading it as the publication date arrived. It has made me stop and think about many of the things I think, say, and do.

The book opens with an incredibly powerful vignette of an actual event, and is the author's Facebook posting of that event. The rest of the book is divided by location and starts with a series of vignettes, followed by a “debriefing.”

The stories tell of his experiences of the racial divide and his reactions to what he has experienced. It starts with his growing up, and ends with incidents after the most recent presidential election. The debriefing section of each chapter is probably the most powerful.

The author is an Episcopal priest who met his wife in college. She is also an ordained Episcopal priest. He is white, she is black.

I think this a book which I want to sit and read again … that doesn’t often happen.

https://www.churchpublishing.org/seeingmyskin

ALA Annual - DC

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 14:03:00 +0000

Here is the semi-annual posting of my schedule ... Right now, this matches the version of the calendar in the ALA Scheduler, and lives both on Google Calendar and in my personal Outlook calendar. It is still tentative! There are overlapping meetings. Some of the decisions are "game day" decisions based on location and priority in my work/ALA life. I am the incoming chair of the ALA Membership Meetings Committee, so that meeting along with the Membership Meeting itself take priority. As the ASGCLA Division Councilor, Council and the ASGCLA Board get priority, too.

I get to town early, and will actually do some tourist things during the day on Thursday!

Clicking on any event will show details. Also clicking on "ALA" opens the calendar for that day. I have figured out how to show the Agenda ... this is a work in progress as I jump into HTML editing to make it look the way I want!

And do note the time zone note on the bottom. I have entered the correct time zone in the calendar ... so we will see how that works out for me. I may have mastered this!

ALA Elections 2019 [edited]

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 13:14:00 +0000

ALA ballots are coming out. I received mine, and have started working through the list.

There is a great guide to the election with candidate statements on the ALA web site. It is a great looking booklet, with a great description of Council including some of the pertinent actions taken over the past few years.

http://www.ala.org/aboutala/sites/ala.org.aboutala/files/content/governance/alaelection/2019/elections-booklet-2019.pdf

There is a link on page 16 to the Council bio statements (PDF, 194 pages!):

http://www.ala.org/aboutala/sites/ala.org.aboutala/files/content/governance/alaelection/2017/All%20Councilor%20bios%202017..pdf

And there is an Excel workbook on the main election page:

http://www.ala.org/aboutala/governance/alaelection

Here is a link to Andromeda Yelton's wonderful Council Candidate Sorter. (She has been doing this for several years now ... maybe 5 years?) The code behind it on GitHub (which I only very moderately understand...)

http://thatandromeda.github.io/ala_candidate_filter/2019_ala_council.html

The results will be posted April 10, 2019 on that last link above.

Book Read 2018

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Sat, 02 Mar 2019 21:11:00 +0000

Here is the list of books I read in 2018.

Art Boss

YA - ARC

Liar, Liar: A Nicole Graves Mystery

ARC

Sugar Run: a novel

ARC

Other People's Love Affairs: Stories

ARC

Bathed in Prayer: Father Tim's Prayers, Sermons and Reflections from the Mitford Series

ARC

The Little Prince

a re-reading in English

Zion: A Novel

LLA 2018 book

All Happy Families: A Memoir

ARC

The Saint of Wolves & Butcher: A Novel

ARC

Krazy: George Herriman, a life in black and white

2017 LBF author

White Indians of Darien

GoodReads review here

The Astonishing Color of After: A Novel

ARC

Instructions for a Secondhand Heart: A Novel

ARC

The Price of a Haircut: Stories

ARC

Hidden Figures

ONE BOOK, ONE COMMUNITY READ 2018

Hard to Forget: an Alzheimer's Story

Reviewed here

Nine Irish Lives: The fighters, thinkers & artists who helped build America

ARC

Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and mourning on the American right

Ghost Boys

ARC -- inscribed by author

What You Don't Know about Charlie Outlaw: A Novel

ARC

The Hunger

ARC

To Be Where You Are

ARC

ALA Midwinter 2019

noreply@blogger.com (Michael A. Golrick) — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 01:30:00 +0000

Here is my tentative schedule for ALA Midwinter. Note that it is still tentative!

I am flying in on Thursday (1/24) and leaving for Pullman on the 30th - after I teach a class online. (Note: I have not figured out how to make "Agenda" the default view.") Clicking on any event will show details. And do note the time zone note on the bottom. Here, I am seeing things in the Central Time zone, not sure how true that is for others.